Another new rv'er

[Rick Sanford]

Hello My name Rick Sanford Largo Florida. We are getting ready to purchase a 2006 Rockwood 8314SS. My wife ( Dianna ) and I are going to travel up and down to east coast? From Florida to the DC areas the first couple of years. My TV is a 1997 1500 Chevy Silverado ext. Cab. I have the HD Trans. cooler with fan, Rebuilt 5.7 engine & Trans. P245 75 15 6ply tires. I've towed forklift trucks in our local area with no problems ( forklift wt. with trailer Wt. 12000lb.) Do you think I will be able to towing this rv safely for a year or so.


Rockwood Spec
Hitch wt. 792
Unit dry wt. 5734
Trailer GVRW 7792

 

[Tom]

Hi Rick. I moved your message here because it will have a better chance of being seen by our towing experts.

 

[Carl L]

Do you think I will be able to towing this rv safely for a year or so.

Maybe.

The Trailer Life ratings for the 1997 model year are no longer on line.? ?The 1999 figures for the Chevy 1500s range from 5000 to 8200 lbs. depending on engine and rear end ratio.? ?Your trailers GVW is mixed up in there some place and in any case is pushing the upper limits.? ?

Trailer Life says they will furnish earlier specs upon written request.? ?Go to their website and pick up on the address to write.? http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175

 

[Ron]

Hi Rick and Dianna,

Welcome to the RV Forum.  This is the best place to ask questions and get information relating to the RVing life style.  Glad you found us.  I'm sure the members that have more experience towing will give you some great tips.

 

[Kirk]

The question is not one of power, but of safety. Check the weight ratings for your truck. Is it rated to tow the weight of the trailer that you plan to tow? If it is rated by GM to carry the pin weight and towing the total weight, based upon the gross weight ratings, they it should serve just fine. But if it is not, you may be an accident just waiting to happen.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

From what I can see on the Rockwood (Forest River) web site, your trailer weighs a little over 5700 lbs empty (dry) and a max of about 7800 lbs.  I think that's right up around the max for your truck, but your itinerary doesn't have a lot of steep grades either (as long as you stick to interstates, that is).  The trailer will also put about 800 lbs on the hitch, so you will need a good weight distributing hitch as well.

Frankly, I would prefer to see a little less trailer than that behind your truck. I'm sure you can move the trailer OK, but whether you can stop it safely and keep it pointed in the right direction under adverse circumstances is another question.  Perhaps I'm a bit conservative on this score, but I'm from north-central FLorida myself and will no doubt be sharing the road with you at times.  :-\

 

[Rick Sanford]

Will Guys I agree with you, I would not want to be on the road with me ether, So I stop at my friendly Chevy dealer and picked up a new Truck 2006 3500 Chevy with the diesel engine ext. cap. I wonder if this will it HA!! Ha!!. My wife & I  may go with our 1st plan and it was a 5th wheel.


I'm sure I will have couple more question and this will be the place I come to..


PS. RV roamer- Hope you more a little safer now.


Thanks Rick Sanford

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

So I stop at my friendly Chevy dealer and picked up a new Truck 2006 3500 Chevy with the diesel engine ext. cap.

Well, you surely solved the capacity problem!  Now you can tow most anything you like up to around 34 feet.  Don't be tempted, though. Go with the Rockwell for awhile and see how you like it and what you really want to have in an RV.  Actually, I would suggest buying a less expensive, used fiver to get your feet wet and buy your "dream rig" later.  Buying new and then swapping a year or two later is VERY expensive.  There are lots of nice, late model used RVs available.

Have you been over to Lazy Days in Tampa? Huge selection!